Yosuke Ideguchi: Leeds United to sign Japan midfielder

Yosuke Ideguchi made his senior Japan debut against Syria in June

Leeds are set to sign Japan midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi from Gamba Osaka in a deal worth about £500,000.

Ideguchi will join the Championship side in January, but will be sent out on loan in Europe as he will not yet be eligible for a work permit.

Details of the length of his contract at Elland Road are not yet known.

The 21-year-old, who has scored twice in eight international appearances, has featured 96 times for Japanese top-flight side Gamba.

To gain a work permit, players need to have played in 75% of their games over a two-year period, during which time their country must have a ranking which averages inside Fifa's top 50 nations.

That percentage falls to 60% for players from countries ranked with an average position between 21 and 30, or 45% for nations ranked 10-20, or 30% for top-10 countries.

Japan are currently ranked 55th in the world, but their average is expected to be inside the top 50 following the 2018 World Cup, meaning Ideguchi simply needs to have played the required number of games.